Pump



Ocfl, 1929 J. J. Fl'rzPATRlcK 1,7295870 PUMP Filed Feb. 1l. 1928 lfgzz. 93.

ATTORNEY 'lea-ama oa. 1, i929r` PATENT @FFICE JEBEMIAH J. FITZPATBICK, F TULSA, OKLAHOMA PUMP Application led February 11, 1928. Serial Ko. 253,643.

My invention relates to pumps and vmore particularly to those of the metallic plunger type employed in oil field practice and has for its principal objects to provide a pump structure automatically secure against 'oil leakage under high fluid pressures to facilitate as well as to eliminate much rod pulling for 'the withdrawal and replacement of the working parts.

More particularly the invention consists in employment of a barrel capable of receiving a soft metal coating impervious to heat, water or chemicals in the oils and a plunger in such combination with the barrel as to feed packing elements, such as lead pellets, to contact with the barrel for absorption into any inaccuracies in the barrel liners and for keeping the barrel built up to a close sliding n't ot the plunger, i'resh pellets being supplied 2o when required, thereby providing tor repacking or lining Without removal ot' the pump rods.

Another important object of the invention is to prevent the attraction of loadstone on the balls and seats of the pump valves by the noninagnetic packing deposited on the walls forming an insulation therefrom, tne packing also eliminating the use of cups on the plunger' or a close lit between the plunger and 3@ the liner, thus preventing friction trom causing the plunger to expand or t'reeze within the barrel.

1n accomplishing the above and other objects of the invention 1 have provided mproved details ot' structure, the preferred rorrns of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

ifig. 1 is a perspective view of a pump construc-ted in accordance with my invention, the enclosing jacket being shown in section.

F ig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the lower end of the pump.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the pump.

lfig. 4 is a cross section through the pump on the line 4 4, Fig. 2.

Fig 5 is a detail perspective sectional view o the packing gland, and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of two adjacent sections of the Working barrel shown in spaced relation.

Referrin more in detail to the drawings by numera s of reference:

1 designates the working barrel of the pump consisting of a tubular jacket 2 internally threaded at its ends to receive a gland member 3 at its upper end and a nipple 4 at its lower end; a working barrel liner 5 being engaged with the gland and nipple and suppored thereby concentric with the jacket. ln order to provide for replacement of portions of the liner most subject to wear l prefer to construct the liner ot' a plurality of tubular sections 6, each section being preferably machined from cast material and provided at opposite ends with' reinforcing lian-ges or hubs 7, the upper hub havingv an annular tongue 8 concentric with the bore and projecting longitudinally of the hub and the lower hub being provided with an internal socket 9, also concentric ot the bore and of substantially the diameter of the annular tongue so that the tongue of one section will be received in the'socket of an adjacent section. rl`he upper section 1() of the liner is of special form and differs from the other sections in that the upper hub is eliminated and the lower portion or" the bore provided with an internalrecess 11 for containing a lubricant as hereinafter' described.

A suicient number of the sections, including the upper section, are assembled end to end with the tongue 8 otone iitting in the socket 9 of another so that the liner is provided with a true bore 12 or uniform diameter throughout its length. The lower section of theI liner engages a tongue 8 on the nipple 4 complementary to the tongues 8 of the intermediate sections, the smooth end of the upper section being retained in a cylindrical socket 13 formed in the lower end of the gland 3.

.The nipple 4 is provided with a reduced central rtion 15 having a bore 16 continuing the ore of the liner, to form the lower end of the working barrel.

Threaded to a flared skirt 17 on` the-lower end of the nipple is a housing 18 of substantially the diameter of the working barrel and 10o threadedly engaged with its lower end is a coupling 19 having internal threads for receiving the upper end 20 of a perforated pipe i 21 through which oil flows from the well into the pump as hereinafter described.

A tube 22 of somewhat smaller diameter than the housing 18 extends therein, and is screw-threadedly engaged in an axial bore 23 in the coupling in line with the perforated pipe 21, the tube carrying at its upper end a standing valve 24 through which oil from the tube is admitted into the annular space 25 and into the working barrel below the plunger.

The standing valve comprises a body 26 having an internally threaded portion 27 for connection to the tube and a concentrically reduced portion 28 having a reduced port 29 rovided with a valve seat 30 for seating a ball valve 31. Threaded onto the reduced portion 28 and enclosing thel ball valve is a valve cage 32 having oil outlets 33 in its sides and a reduced oil port 34 in its upper end.

The upper end of the cage is tapered as at 35 to be received in a cone-shaped shield 36 integral with the nipple, the shield being rounded at its apex and having a plurality of small oil outlet ports 37 communicating the port 34 with the skirt of the nipple, the shield being supported by radial arms 38 lintegral with the nipple.

Snugly slidable in the bore of the working barrel and through the gland 3 is a pump plunger 39 comprising a cylindrical tube 4() somewhat longer than the working barrel so that its upper end projects through the gland when its lower end approaches the lower end of the barrel. Threaded to a reduced eXtension 41 at the upper end Aof the plunger is a working valve 42 comprising a cage 43 havin lateral ports 44 and an annular series of reuced ports 45 in its upper end encircling the threaded pin 46 whereby the sucker rods 47 are connected to the cage.

Received in the upper end of the plunger and retained thereon by the cage is a valve seat 48 seating a ball valve 49, and cooperating with the valve 49 at the lower end of the plunger is a supplementary valve 50 of standard construction so that when the plunger moves downward in the working barrel to displace the oil the'rein, the oilis transferred past the valve through the plunger and into the upper portion of the working barrel above the plunger, and when the plunger moves on its upward stroke the valves seat and retain the oil and cause the plunger tc'lift itA within the well tubing 51, which is threaded to the upper end of the gland in the usual manner. The lower end of the plunger is preferably tapered for admission into the liner.

In order to prevent leaking of the oil between the plunger and theworking barrel to provide for maximum eiliciency of the pump, provide a packing material within the gland at the upper end ofthe working barrel for absorption by the plunger, as now described.

The interior wall of the gland is provided with a series of inwardly and downwardly tapered wall portions 52, steps or ledges 53 formed by vertical Wall portions 54 separating the tapered portions and the group of i tapered portions, forming a cone-shaped magazine having stepped ledges for storing a quantity of soft metallic pellets 55 about the pump plunger. As the plunger moves downwardly through the gland, the pellets 55 are moved downward thereby between the taper wall portions and the plunger, and wedged into an undercut groove 56 formed in the gland below the magazine, the pellets being crushed within the recess and automatically packed against and absorbed by the plunger to seal the plunger in its working relationship ,with the working barrel. The pellets in mashed or wafer form are squeezed into the groove 56 by lateral pressure or movement of the plunger, and are retained in the said groove 56 for future use for lining the barrel when a leak or oil slippage occurs therein, and the said pellets, although squeezed or mashed into wafer form, retain their individuality and are adapted to be scaled or iiaked olf by the passage of the pumped liquid past the groove 56 when a leak or oil slippage occurs in the barrel. The pellet receiving groove 56 is not leak-proof, but when a leak or oil slippage occurs in the barrel the liquid, under tremendous pressure, rushes through or past the groove 56 and tears oft the wafer formed pellets and carries them downward between the plunger and the liners and deposits them on the liners in a proper leading up forni and builds up the liners and produces by such leading action a proper leak-proof sliding lit of the plunger and the barrel.

In order to admit oil into the recess 11 to lubricate the plunger and prevent undue wear and abrasion on the working barrel, the upper section 10 of the liner is provided with ports 57 opening from the recess into the jacket, and the jacket with oil inlets 58 so that oil may enter the jacket, liow through the ports, and lill the recess with lubricant.

In assembling the pump, the working barrel liner is inserted in the jacket and the jacket screwed onto the gland 3 at its upper end and to the nipple 4 at its lower end; the nipple in turn is threaded onto the standing valve portion of the pump that carries the perforated pipe 21. The pump is then secured to the well tubing 51 and lowered into the well as in common practice. The plunger is then attached to the sucker rods and run into the well until it enters the working barrel, after which the pellets 55 are dropped into the tubin to ll the magazineu The pump is starte and the plunger in its reciprocation squeezes the pellets into the aeking recess and the pellets eventually wor down in wafer form etween the plunger and the barrel to adhere to and coat the wail of the liner and with packing head will prevent oil slippage past the plunger.

As the .packing wears, more pellets are fed into the recess so that the packing seal n is automaticall maintained by the action of the plunger, w ereby an eiiicient packing at all times is provided for.

When it is necessary to remove the plunger :for repairs to the valves or for other reasons, the plunger is withdrawn from the cylinder, and the loose pellets fall through the working barrel onto the cone-shaped shield and are directed thereby into the space about the tube, the shield preventing the pellets from dropping into the cage to interfere with the operation of the valve. When the plunger is again inserted Yin the pump, new pellets are dropped into the magazine through the to of the weli and the plunger action again e fects the seal.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a vertically working barrel and a pump Aplunger vertically slidable therein., of means within said barrel for holdin' a supply of metallic packing pellets aroun said plunger, means below said first mentioned means and communicating therewith for crushing said pellets to provide a linely divided packing substance and means below said second means for receiving and retaining said acking substance, said pack ing substance eing adapted to be carried from the retaining means into packing posi-1 tion between said barrel and plunger when a leak or oil slippage occurs.

l'n testiinon whereof I aix n1 signature. 

